A recording, DJ and live project, Blue Hawaii pairs Alexander Cowan’s production and rhythm approach with Raphaelle Standell’s vocals, instrumentals and songwriting — an expressive accomplice to her band Braids’s introspective experimental pop. Riding buzz for their EP Blooming Summer, the band released textured glitch and synth pop album Untogether on Montréal’s Arbutus Records, embarking on an elongated tour in Europe, Asia, and North America and garnering a Juno Award in 2013. Touring sparked explorations into dance music and live sets that merged into DJing and improvised vocal loops and synth lines. Their latest EPs of new tracks and remixes roam from minimalist clicks and soaring vocals straight into the club, delving into bass driven hip hop rhythms and arresting vocals that break somewhere between ambient and house.

While Standell worked on and is now touring Braids’ new album, Cowan produces new Blue Hawaii tracks, featuring Standell and other collaborators, and tours worldwide. Blue Hawaii’s set at MUTEK is Cowan alone with a mixed DJ/vocal hybrid conjuring a pop influenced electro evening crashed by propulsive beats on the outdoor stage.